Migraine, headache, and art

Did you know that the three words - migraine, headache and art - really do go together*? It's natural, when you think about it. When you've gone through an intense experience, such as a migraine attack or cluster headache, or if you suffer from chronic headaches, it's something you want to express to others. We want people to understand.

Migraine (which, as you know, is not a headache but a disease) and various types of headaches have often been misunderstood through the years. Some of the earliest "art" was done by doctors and neurologists trying to understand what was happening in the body.

Upon seeing an art teacher's portrayals of her migraine attacks, the late David Robinson began to develop the migraine art concept in the 1970s (more about Robinson, migraine, headache and art). This turned into a wider movement, and migraine, headache and art competitions were begun in various parts of the world.

Today, many of these competitions continue. But there's an even bigger revolution - people sharing their photos, paintings and drawings on their own websites, in Facebook, Flickr, and in blogs. This isn't just self-obsession - it's a way to help the rest of the world understand what we're dealing with. It can even help researchers learn more about headaches and migraine, and lead to new understanding and better treatments.

It's easy to do, just type it in! A sentence or two is all you need, but a paragraph or two would be fine.

Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

If this is a photo of you, what were you feeling? In relation to your painting, how has migraine impacted your life? What about an encouraging story - who was there to help?

Migraine #4 Migraine - (2008) With this series, I make the often private and debilitating experience of a migraine open to all. "Migraine" is wrought with melancholia. …

auraThis is more or less the colours and visuals I see, this has intensified over the last couple of months followed by neck pain and migraine.

A collage of my migraine aurasHi there
I have occular migraines. I get the migraine aura's - sometimes the scintillating scotoma usually in the day time, and sometimes brightly coloured …

Vacation Sunset with Aura Not rated yetI had just decided to go on short-term disability to see if that would help my Chronic Migraines. A doctor ordered vacation sounded like a great idea to …

Shooting ﻿the monster inside of my head! Not rated yetMost often I see spots or smell burning electronics.I get intensive pain right behind me left ear and eye, feel dizzy and nauseated plus get a Aurora around …

* Note - this page talks about art based on headaches and migraine. Remember, however, that migraine headaches are only one symptom of migraine. Many people with migraine don't get any headaches at all! Migraine headache is only one possible symptom, not the disease itself. Read more about migraine headache and other symptoms of migraine.